How to Become a Sith
by RandomdudeNo123
Summary: Kylo is ecstatic when Snoke teaches him how to summon Force ghosts. But things take a turn for the strange when, alongside Vader, several other Sith lords are summoned. Will they convince Kylo to become full sith?
1. Chapter 1

Some Notes: I am aware that the Sith can't become force ghosts. Take it as poetic liberty. Also, dark side users who aren't sith (Savage, Ventress) will be appearing in the chapters to come.

* * *

Kylo couldn't believe his luck. The Supreme Leader had just taught him how summon force ghosts to continue his training. It had all started when Kylo had attempted to learn the ways of the Force Choke, to continue his legacy as "Vader 2.0!" Somehow, it had ended with Kylo choking himself while Snoke buried his head in his palm. After that... incident, Snoke had always been mysteriously busy with the running of the Order whenever Kylo's lessons were to take place. Until today.

"Now, my apprentice. You will only use this power when in need of training. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, supreme leader." On the outside, Kylo was the picture of contrite seriousness. On the inside, he was already preparing a list of things to shout at Darth Vader to convince him that Kylo was his biggest fan.

"If you are to use this power wantonly, there will be... complications." _Mostly for me,_ Snoke muttered to himself.

"Yes, supreme leader." Kylo wasn't even listening at this point. All he wanted was to finally meet this figure of legend. Darth Vader.

* * *

As soon as Kylo had entered his room (which was modelled the exact same way as Vader's, minus the bacta tank and spinning chair), he immediately opened himself up to the force. Summoning the spirits of the force, he heard a voice calling to him in the physical realm.

"Grandfather...?"

"Grandson." Vader stood before him, grim and badass. Before Kylo could open his mouth, several voices rang out.

"Nephew!" Sheev Palpatine, Darth Tyrannus, and Darth Maul shimmered into existence behind Vader. Palpatine was wearing his customary hood, while Dooku and Maul were in their traditional sith attire. Palpatine looked extremely excited, for some strange reason.

"Grandfather... Who are these people?" Kylo, of course, knew who they were. He just hadn't paid attention to their legends as much as Vader's stories, because how could anyone ever hope to compare to Vader?

Vader sighed. "I... suppose... that these are your honorary uncles in the Dark side. They share no blood with you, but are linked through destiny and the force." Palpatine nodded, then quickly sidled up to Kylo, then put his arm on Kylo's shoulder.

"My nephew! Look how old you've become! Already grown into a strapping young man, I see! But" and here, Palpatine made a pretend sour face and crossed his arms "why haven't you taken up the name of the Sith yet?"

Kylo quickly put some distance between him and Sidious, then rushed to think of a good excuse. "Snoke told me the Sith were too respectable a name for us to take..."

"Now, that's just ridiculous! No grandson of mine is going to be a mere Dark Side user if I have any say in the matter! Quickly, Tyrannus, we must think of a new name for him!" Both Darth Tyrannus and Darth Maul had quickly faded into the other side of the room, and were studying Vader's helmet.

"My child has not decided on his path yet." Vader had placed himself between Kylo and the rest of the Sith. _Is he... trying to stop me from becoming a sith?_

"Fine. I'm sure that with time, my nephew will learn to see... reason." Palpatine's face clouded, but quickly turned excited again. "After all, there's so much to teach you! How to use Force lightning, how to Lie well, how to-"

"How to use a lightsaber properly." Tyrannus had spoken up from the other side of the room. Maul, on the other hand, was doing his best to not seem interested in the conversation.

"Yes, Yes, I suppose. Now, where shall we begin your _sith_ " Palpatine glared at Vader for a moment. "training?"

* * *

 **Lesson 1: Appearances**

It was the middle of the night. After Palpatine assured Kylo that there was to be no training today, Kylo had returned to sleep in his personalized sleeping pod (Really just the same as Vader's, except there was a bed instead of a chair inside.) Kylo Ren was sleeping peacefully in his pajamas when a lightsaber igniting quickly woke him up, as well as causing a sudden dampness in his bedsheets. Right next to him, his crossguard lightsaber had burnt a hole in the side of the pod after a hooded figure had switched it on with the force.

"First lesson of the Dark Side. Never sleep deeply." Maul quickly switched off the saber, then motioned for the boy to stand up. Beside him, Palpatine nodded solemnly, then spoke up in the "kindly grandpa" voice he'd been using the entire time.

"Yes, I know. Being the only competent one in the Order is hard work, but you must not sleep! I remember my master made the same mistake once. He never regretted it, because he never lived to see his error." Palpatine chuckled to himself, then floated outside the pod. Maul followed suit, rather annoyed that he'd be spending time with the man who killed his brother.

Groggily, Kylo quickly opened up the pod and looked around when a scarlet light filled the room. Near him, a hooded shadow stood menacingly with a lightsaber, blood-red blades erupting from both ends. Suddenly, the figure erupted into a storm of blows, surrounding himself with the crimson energy of the blade, before launching himself at a frozen Palpatine. Yellow eyes burned with power as he quickly dispelled Palpatine with several frenzied blows. Kylo felt his mouth drop open.

"And that was lesson number 2. Appearances." Maul put his hood up, while Palpatine rematerialized. "The more intimidating you look, the less your opponent is going to want to attack you." Maul posed for a bit, snarling with his blade, before dispelling it back into the ether where it came from.

"Quite right, Apprentice number 1!" Maul gave Palpatine a withering look, which Palpatine ignored. " However, a Sith must always have 2 personas. One of them must be the terror that stalks your nightmares, the other must be the hand that calms you." At this point, Palpatine transformed himself into Senator Palpatine, representative of Naboo. "My dear young one, you seem quite stressed. Would you like a seat? Here, let me assist you."

Kylo, instinctively, took Palpatine's hand before realizing he was a ghost. He also attempted to sit, only to realize that there was no seat. "And that is the power of words. Remember, do not let one Persona mix with another, or they might start catching on to your little game." Palpatine smiled a kindly smile, before shifting back into his Emperor's robes.

"I do have an alter-ego, Palpatine." Kylo gestured to a blonde wig and high-visibility jacket before Palpatine could utter a word. "And he's quite convincing. Now."

Kylo felt his gaze wander to his mask. Quickly, he put it on along with his robes, then motioned as if Force-Choking a victim. He also took his lightsaber and put it in his holster. "You will learn to fear me."

Maul shook his head. "Do not steal another sith's pose." Kylo winced, then put his hand back down normally. "Tilt your head forward, hunch your back, and make sure you're casting a shadow over your helmet. Now ignite your lightsaber angrily." Kylo took his lightsaber and ignited it while growling.

"No, no, growling works only when you look vaguely beast-like. Silently, but grip the saber tightly and keep your arms bent. " Maul nodded when Kylo followed suit. "There. You look decently intimidating now. I suppose you'll learn to make it look more natural over time."

"Good. Gooood. Now, we work on your grovelling." Palpatine grinned, then shifted into his chancellor outfit, then lied down on the ground, head raised slightly. Maul sighed, then summon his lightsaber and raised it above his head.

"Please don't kill me. I'm too weak."

"Is this really necessary?" Kylo was beginning to feel irritated and sleepy again. Not that they would notice, as he was still wearing his mask.

"Yes. In every Sith's life, they will find themselves in a moment where they are lying on the ground with an enemy holding a weapon standing above them. You have to convince them not to attack you long enough, or they WILL kill you. Or they will electrocute you." Maul winced, but he kept his pose. "Now, watch carefully."

"Please don't kill me. I'm too weak." Palpatine scrambled up several paces.

"You do not know how long I've waited for this moment."

"Please don't!"

Palpatine warped to beside Maul, then snapped his fingers. Kylo snapped back from his drowsiness.

"Now notice a few elements here. Firstly, you must scramble back a few steps. This is to prevent them from killing you while you're already on the ground. Now, you must make a plea for mercy. No matter what, your opponent will always repond, even if it just to gloat or make a self-righteous statement. Now, while he's distracted talking, you attack. Understand?" Palpatine raised an eyebrow at a still awake, if extremely tired, Kylo.

"Yes, Yes."

"Excellent. Now, you may return to your _light_ sleep."

"My bed was..." Kylo trailed off, too embarrassed to continue. Palpatine stared at him for a few moments, then sniffed the air.

"Oh, dear. Well, here is your first test. You must either Intimidate or Grovel for a new bedsheet tomorrow. If you fail, well, you will have to be sleeping on that bed until you... convince the cleaners to make an exception for you."

Kylo sighed. This was to be long training, wasn't it?


	2. Chapter 2

Relatively short chapter here. Sorry. On the other hand, next chapter is probably when the Beginning of TFA is finally going to enter the plot. How does the on-the-job training change the movie's events, I leave you guys to wonder.

* * *

Lesson 2: Combat

Out in the forests of Starkiller Base, a cluster of darkness was seen slipping through the withered trees. Cloaks held tight, the figures wove through the trees, unheeded and unseen. Suddenly, one of the figures stumbled, then collapsed onto the frozen forest floor. The rest of the shadows clustered around him, eyes glinting beneath their hoods.

"Young man, behave yourself. You have no right to collapse until we have ran for, at the least, twelve whole hours." Count Dooku crossed his arms behind his back and stared at the prostrate form of the boy.

Kylo, grumbling to himself, picked himself up and glared behind his mask. "Easy for you to say, levitating 2 feet off the ground. Plus, I can't see a thing in this blasted mask." Kylo pointed at the tree root that had tipped him over.

"Silence! A sith must be prepared for anything, even malicious trees!" Kylo would have cracked a smile, except Dooku never joked. In fact, looking at his face, he seemed just as serious as angry trees as he did at rocks that turned into thunderstorms that prophesied your defeats. Maybe having your head cut off turned you insane in the afterlife. Who knew? Dooku had gestured again, and Kylo immediately fell into a trudge. His feet were killing him.

The rest of the sith had already gone on without the two. Kylo wondered to himself on why, instead of the cool grandpa who cut up rebels like salads for combat training, he got the cranky old man who ranted on about ridiculous legends. It was outrageous, and perhaps even the slightest bit unfair. Dooku was now telling the story on how he was possessed by Darth Maul's mother and forced to duel Darth Sidious. Maybe he had gone mad.

"Ah, here we are!" Dooku smiled contentedly at what looked to be a perfectly normal clearing. Small hillocks rose from the ground to add a little bit of interest to the otherwise boring landscape. Still, there was probably an ancient secret or a mystical power that he was finally going to learn here, Kylo hoped.

"And this is...?"

"A perfectly normal clearing, young one. Perhaps you should take the mask off, if you truly cannot see through it." Once again, Dooku was perfectly serious. Kylo opted to keep the mask on, if only to prevent the other sith from seeing how annoyed he was. Still, he swore he could see a smirk on Maul's face, even though he was on the other side of the clearing.

"Ignite you lightsaber." Dooku had stolen Kylo's training lightsaber before they had left the base, and was now pointing at Kylo with it, one arm behind his back. Kylo ignited his own saber in his "intimidating" pose. He barely had time to sidestep before Dooku had made a lunge at him with his own blade, nearly stabbing Kylo in the chest. Using his momentum, the Count spun clockwise to knock away Kylo's first block, then catch his saber in a blade lock. Kylo quickly overpowered Tyrannus, but the Count swiftly used the momentum to push Kylo's legs out from underneath him. Kylo found himself face-first on the snow, except there was a lightsaber lightly singing his robes from behind.

"Back up. Again." Dooku had returned to his starting pose, and Kylo begin wondering how effective his grovelling would be against a force ghost.

* * *

"Back up. Again." The Count was actually rather impressed. The boy was a very quick learner, despite his troubling tendency to favour brute strength over a quick and precise blow. Sidestepping a painfully clear rising cut, Dooku once again pressed the advantage.

"Momentum, boy, Momentum! Never let your opponent rest for even the slightest moment!" He had not been the easiest trainer for the child, he admitted to himself, but how else was the boy to learn to be a Blademaster? Ducking a powerful swing, he leaped to the back to avoid an even more powerful upwards blow. Kylo didn't seem to be tiring, even after several sparring attempts like this. Dooku made a quick stab to the chest, then used the parry to quickly build up momentum for his next spinning strike. It was hard to tell his emotions from under his mask, but Dooku was rather sure the boy had some affection towards him; especially after hearing the grand tale where he had duelled three invisible nightsisters. Why else would he be so determined to continue sparring?

"Keep on your toes! Agility is the lifeblood of any battle!" The boy's fighting style was similar to his grandfather's. Heavy, swift, and straight to the point. Of course, he could keep dancing circles around the boy, as he did his grandfather. The only battle he had ever lost against Anakin was because Anakin had gotten furious enough-

Kylo let out a mighty scream. Dooku's eyed bugged out as he realized what was about to happen.

Kylo, swinging his own saber with all his might, knocked the hilt out of Dooku's hand. In a moment of pure instinct, Kylo had reached out with the force and summoned it to his own palm. He then crossed both sabers on Dooku's neck.

"Good, Kylo, Goood. _Do it._ " Palpatine chuckled evilly.

Dooku sighed. "Master, not this again."

"Sorry. Just reliving some old fond memories."

* * *

Kylo was exasperated now. The day was ending, but he and Count "Cuckoo" were still duelling. For ever victory he managed, Dooku seemed to have him on the ground ten times as much. The constant stream of backseat advice from the other Force ghosts wasn't helping, either. Oftentimes, he would be focusing his hardest when someone would suggest to try some sort of insane tactic, like jumping over Dooku or distracting him while trying to escape. Eventually, Dooku had menuvered himself to the top of a boulder. Murmurs of laughter passed around the sith. Kylo, however, was having none of it. Empowering himself with the force, he leapt upwards to try and catch Dooku by surprise when Darth Vader made the first statement Kylo had heard from him all day.

"Don't try it!"

Unfortunately, it was all too late. Dooku had swung upwards, and Kylo smelled a sizzling around his hip section. Thankfully, training sabers couldn't actually burn through flesh, although they did leave a nasty burn mark on Kylo's pants.

Maul shrugged, scratching another tally mark on a tree. "The score is 58-4, Dooku's favour." The rest of the Sith sighed. Even Dooku sighed.

Finally, after centuries of faceplants, the dreadful day ended. Kylo had somehow survived, although his robes were now peppered with small burns and his arms with brand new calluses. Dragging himself inside, he was confronted with Captain Phasma. While harsh on her own troops and rather brutal on the battlefield, the woman had taken it upon herself to become Kylo's personal therapist when he had a particularly horrid day. She claimed it was to prevent any more damage to the base from "percussive therapy", but many of her troops were sure that it was a sign that she was finally growing softer. Kylo didn't really care either way.

"Rough day?"

"Saber combat." Kylo didn't feel like talking.

"Ah."

A few extremely awkward moments passed before the two figures walked past each other. Kylo limped all the way to his room, only to be stopped once he realized that he still hadn't had dinner. He thought for a moment, then went inside his room. Eating was overrated, sleep was good. If only the other Sith could restrain themselves from waking him up every 5 minutes to remind him that sleeping was never the sith way.


	3. Chapter 3

Heya. School's started for me here, so updates will be slowing. I'll be more likely to update in the weekends, though.

* * *

Interlude: The Dunes of Jakku

The sandy dunes of Jakku shifted in the winds. Even from the cold expanse of space, the brown dustball spun sadly around its axis, oblivious to the people and places attached to the surface, suffering under the sandstorms and the lack of food.

Not that Kylo cared. Not that a sith should care. Pacing impatiently on the bridge of the massive ship, the teen was garbed in his customary black robes and short temper. Before him, fidgeting nervously, were the officers of the Star Destroyer. Kylo suddenly cut off in the middle of a step, turning on his heel to face a general.

"What do you mean, delay the assault?" Kylo snarled at the leader of the bridge crew. In truth, he didn't particularly care when they decided to take the map to Luke Skywalker. With the knowledge of the Sith and the Jedi all but extinct, there was little reason to ever return to the wizened old man. In truth, the only reason he'd go back was to gloat. Even if Master Luke were to attack the Order, what could he do against all the power of the Sith Lords? The only reason he was actually unnerving the Bridge crew was for the look on their faces. That, and Palpatine said it was important to make sure that every day, at least one crew member was terrified out of his wits.

"The troopers need time to fully train, sir! We n-need to ensure their utmost skill!" The bridge officer began quaking in his boots. Kylo searched around for his name. No such luck. At least he could just call them "officer".

"And what do you assume the Resistance will be doing while we loiter up here? Enjoying a nice game of Sabacc and sipping whatever color of milk they have down there?"

"I-it's still blue milk, sir."

"Silence!" Kylo had to admit that Dooku's line worked very well when dealing with cowardly crew members. Although, he wondered if he couldn't just Force Choke the idiots and promote the intelligent ones, just like Vader. Then again, only Snoke really knew why he promoted this crew, and Kylo was half sure that not even Snoke knew.

Kylo strode closer towards the officer, each step slow and deliberate. Unholstering his lightsaber slowly, he let the light shine upon the cold gray emitter as he pointed it towards his prey. The officer was now nervously dabbing his forehead with a plain white cloth, his knees knocking together in fear. Kylo suppressed a particularly violent urge to laugh.

"You will have your delay, officer. But if I am to find you have failed..." Kylo let the words drift off into the distance. Truth be told, he couldn't do anything particularly bad to the officers. The worst he could do was reschedule their customary tea breaks to annoy them, which was torture in and of itself anyways. To both parties, with all the paperwork involved.

* * *

"You did well." Maul nodded his head approvingly at the hooded figure, eyes glinting under his own hood. They were back inside Kylo's quarters, with Maul and Vader accompanying. Palpatine and Dooku were suspiciously absent, despite both being Force ghosts. Kylo had assumed they had been bonded to him and couldn't leave- wrongly, it seemed. Finally, after a short silence, Vader spoke.

"Maul, I would like a word with my grandson. Alone." Darth Maul frowned in confusion, then shimmered away to wherever Sith Lords went to when not in the physical world.

Darth Vader sat next to Kylo. Both of them stared at the burnt down helmet in the corner of the room, staring back at them. Back then, Kylo would ask the helmet for advice, prophesies, and encouragement. It had stopped when Palpatine told him that the helmet was really just a worthless piece of trash. Still, Kylo couldn't really bear to part with it.

"You are going on a raid." Darth Vader spoke without emotion, without any sense of pride or anger. Kylo felt nothing from him, as if there truly was no man behind that suit.

"Yes, Grandfather."

"You seek the map to my son."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Neither of them spoke for an uncomfortably long time.

"Grandson. You will not harm any of the villagers in that town."

"Why?" Kylo was somewhat shocked. These villagers were harbouring Resistance fugitives, and by extension, were traitors to the galaxy! If anything, they ought to be hunted down and destroyed.

"Your quarrel is with Luke Skywalker." It wasn't a question, but more of a statement.

"Yes."

"Then keep it with Luke Skywalker. " Darth Vader fell silent. Both of them let their eyes fall upon the burnt helmet that once terrorized the galaxy.

* * *

Poe Dameron silently cursed to himself. It was too much to hope for that the First Order would have just made a sweep around the sector and ignored the tiny village, he agreed. However, he was not expecting them to pinpoint his location so quickly. Beside him, BB8 beeped worriedly and rolled under a nearby table, while Lor San Tekka stood wearily.. If he had dared to stick his head outside, Poe would have seen the armies of the Order laying siege to the tiny village, white armor clashing with the darkness outside. If only he had left earlier, he could have avoided all this. Suddenly, the harsh grate of static filled the air, and a woman's voice filled the air with the harsh tone of authority.

"Citizens of the Order. Among yourselves, you harbour a spy and a traitor. If you surrender him to us, you will be unharmed. If you decide to help the traitor, you are rebels against the order and will be... apprehended." Phasma's voice faded. Poe's constant stream of expletives did not. All around him, villagers were laying barricades and bringing out weapons that belonged in museums, not battles. Poe just didn't have the heart to tell them that if worst came to worst, the Order would have just bombed the place with their TIES and scooped up the map afterwards.

"We will not hand you over to the Order that easily, Poe. While we hold them off, you must escape with the map." Poe shook his head.

"Not a chance. Fighters would take me out before I could take off, troopers would just catch before I make it a foot." Poe began pacing worriedly, small could of sand dusting his boots. Before either of them could speak, the static once again blared across the village. The villagers quickly put their hands in their ears and winced while the speakers adjusted. Finally, another voice spoke.

"Lor San Tekka. In your village lies both the map to Luke Skywalker and the resistance spy who you would deliver it to. Hand both over to me and I will spare your pitiful hovels."

Lor San frowned. "Poe, you have to decide. We can hold them for a few minutes. Maybe you can escape while they surge forward. The other option dooms the galaxy under the yoke of a new empire. We cannot let that happen." They both fell silent, listening to the tossing of furniture into the streets as the villagers prepared to sacrifice their lives. Poe decided at that very moment.

* * *

"Mercy? A sith does not show... mercy." Palpatine's low growl echoed in the silence of the Interrogation chamber. The resistance pilot had surrendered himself, and Kylo had kept his word to spare the hovels, much to the confusion of the Ghosts, except Vader.

"Neither does a Sith unnecessarily waste his resources. Destroying the place would take far more time and ammunition than needed." Kylo rolled his eyes in his mask. For all the "unlimited power" that Palpatine claimed, he was extremely bad at resource management. Kylo suspected that all of the Empire's financial planners were in the 1st death star when it exploded, leaving Palpatine free to go onward with his ridiculously expensive superprojects.

"The boy is right, Sidious." Sitting in the most gentlemanly way possible, Count Dooku had given a death glare to Palpatine. "During your time as Sith, you have lost 3 apprentices, 5 if you count my apprentices whom you ordered killed."

"Well, apprentices are expendable."

"Would you like to mention that directly to Vader's face?" Even as a Force Ghost, Vader had kept his level of menace and terror from his days of living. Even the other Sith were intimidated, and Palpatine himself flinched slightly when Vader looked at him directly in the eye. Kylo had to ask Vader on how to give such death glares from behind a mask. Maybe Vader would actually reply for once.

"Sir, the prisoner is ready for interrogation." The resistance pilot had been strapped in to the interrogation chair, hands and feet bolted into the steel plate. Kylo observed him for a few seconds before stepping in the room.

"Well, are you gonna talk, or do I go first?" The pilot was certainly audacious.

"Nobody will be talking." Kylo let his cape swish dramatically, head tilted downwards. Stretching out his hand, he focused. The pilot- Poe Dameron, ace of the Resistance, struggled as memories were pulled forwards from his mind. Yellow sun, Brown sands, the roar of an X-wing... And then the minutes before his capture. Kylo growled to himself, right before his lightsaber struck the computers right next to Dameron. Opening communications with the rest of the Order, he composed himself before sending out the message.

"Attention, commanders. We've been tricked by the resistance. The map is in a BB unit wandering the dunes of Jakku. Hunt it down. Now."


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry this took a a year to update. My bad.

* * *

"A Sith must know what and who he can take advantage of, and the most efficient way it can be done." Darth Maul crossed his arms at the small trader town, half buried in the desert sands. Kylo chafed in his sith robes, also half-buried in the desert sands. It was bad enough that the stupid droid decided to run off straight into lowlife land, but carrying the map to Skywalker with him? Kylo fervently hoped that the townsfolk haven't started selling Skywalker Travel Tour tickets. Darth Maul continued monologuing, mostly to himself. His brother, Savage, also floated besides him. The two looked almost perfectly like each other, both tinted red and horned. Savage was the shorter one, from what Kylo remembered.

"We search the taverns for susceptible minds, slowly build up our reputation among the townsfolk, and then we strike!"

"Brother, did you really just tell him to start another crime syndicate?" Savage Orpress could be heard sighing in the background. Years of watching his brother fail miserably at revenge had gotten to him.

"You very well know that it was my most successful plan!"

"It was your only successful plan. If you define success to be waiting years for revenge, then dying because you forgot to bring water to a desert planet."

"How was I supposed to know that Kenobi would be on a desert planet?!"

Kylo, knowing the two would and could argue over Maul's various failings, sped away on his hoverbike. On the way, Kylo began to consider his options. While a Mafia would be cool, Darth Vader-ing everybody with a force choke would be even cooler. On the other hand, Snoke did tell him to lessen up on his temper issues. The First Order's PR team was exhausted, apparently. One more control panel destroyed and they would quit. That is, if the rebels didn't get the footage and broadcast it first. The last incident took weeks to get off the holonet, and Smoke himself had to make several public apologies for his apprantice's behavior. Plus there was the fact that he couldn't force choke people.

He could try and get the Sith Ghosts to help him search the town. Kylo thought back to how helpful they were previously. Darth Cuckoo, Darth Jumpscare, Darth Jumpscare's brother... Kylo unconsciously shuddered. He could use the time off.

He could try acting nicely. Nah.

He could try and blend in with the local populace, and search the towns dressed as Matt. Darth Sidious had taught him the usefulness of wearing a disguise outfit under his normal one, in case one needed to change quickly. Kylo took the advice to heart, though wearing a blonde wig under his hood was a hassle.

Stepping off his hoverbike, Kylo quickly glanced around. All around him was sand, sand, sand more sand. Perfect. Quickly, he took off his mask and slung it around a bag on his hoverbike. Then he pulled back his hood, and was slipping out of his sith robes when...

"Hello There."

Kylo actually jumped out of his robes. Instinctively reaching for his lightsaber, he twirled around to face his opponent. The girl also jumped back, taking a fighting stance with her staff.

"I don't want any trouble." The girl aimed a few warning jabs with her staff. Kylo took a moment to turn his lightsaber on, then realized he was holding a wrench. Dropping it, he put his hands in the air.

"Then what do you want? Because robbing me would be a foolish mistake." Kylo growled at her, making sure to tilt his head forwards so a shadow would fall on his face. His lightsaber was still on his robes, on the sand. One force pull and she would be in pieces.

"I wanted to see if you needed any help. You seemed lost." The Girl put her staff away slowly, setting it back on her speeder. While her back was turned, Kylo took the opportunity to examine her. She seemed like any other scavenger on the planet, except unarmed except for her staff. No blasters, vibroknives or any other weapons. Her speeder was cobbled together from a junkyard, judging by the way it seemed to be falling to pieces. Kylo almost felt sorry for her, except that he didn't.

"I'm... fine. I was on my way to that town in the distance." Kylo fervently hoped that he could head there by himself. Strange nosy scavengers were going to cause complications for him.

"That's not a town. At best, it's a trading post."

"And at worst?"

"You don't want to know." Her face darkened slightly after that statement.

"Fair enough."

A short silence passed before The Girl spoke again.

"So... what are you, exactly?"

"A radar technician."

"Out in the Jakku Badlands. Where there are no radars." She raised an eyebrow at him. Despite not wearing his hot robes anymore, Kylo began sweating profusely.

"Yes."

"Er, how about you? What's your name?"

"Rey."

"So... you scavenge?"

"Yes."

One of the things no amount of force powers could ever bestow was the ability to make charming small talk, as Kylo soon learned. The blistering sun and the chafing of sand in his boots were not helping either. Both stood in the sun an awkwardly long time, before "Rey" got back on her speeder. Not saying a word, she drove off, leaving a bewildered Kylo in the dust.

"We have to work on your banter skills." Count Dooku materialized beside Kylo, head shaking sadly.

"You were there the whole time?" Kylo stuffed his robes back into his hoverbike, taking care to put his lightsaber in it's proper holster. If people asked, he'd say it was an advanced flashlight.

"Once I had learned that you had left the brothers bickering, I decided to track you down here. You did not expect me to leave our most promising recruit to fend for himself, no?"

"I guess." Kylo absentmindedly got on his hoverbike, after locking the compartment shut.

"I presume you had a plan regarding letting the girl go?"

"What do you mean?"

"She had the droid, after all. You were aware of that, right?"

Kylo's eye began twitching. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought you noticed. Perhaps the heat is getting to your head? The command shuttle has air conditioning within it."

"No. That droid will be mine." Kylo zoomed off, heading at full speed. Dooku, however, somehow kept pace with the scooter, flying along like a strange bird.

"Now, Now. Let us not be hasty on this matter. The folly of youth can be easily avoided, you know. The situation at hand bears a striking similarity to..."

Kylo groaned. This was going to be a long trip.


	5. Chapter 5

Lesson 3: Aggression

Despite his best efforts, Kylo found himself inside yet another scrap trader's tent. The scavenger girl "Rey" had managed to elude his best efforts, mostly because it seemed nobody in particular cared enough about her to actually know anything. Kylo would have brought down the entire kriffing place down with the force, if he wasn't scared of getting a tetanus infection from all the flying shrapnel. This tent was the latest of several other tents, all of which had provided him with several helpful descriptions of why their merchandise was the best, and how he shouldn't try anybody else's products. All the other Sith Ghosts had apparently gone away on sightseeing, except Darth Vader. While Kylo would have relished the chance to spend some quality time together, talking to him was like talking to a statue.

"Now see here, Mr. Matt. We're selling this droid for the low, low price of only 150 credits! With fully functional locomotors, completely customizable power grids, and even unrusted arms, you're surely getting the bang for your buck in this little piece of art!"

The salesman confidently slapped the droid on the back of it's head. Perhaps a bit too confidently, as the head went flying off into the nearest pile of garbage.

"Another benefit to owning this nifty pile of work is it also serve as a beginner's course in droid construction! So, what do you say?"

Kylo, stifling another groan, began growling at the salesman. "Sir, for the thirteenth time, I am not looking to buy a droid. I was asking if you knew a scavenger named Rey. She has a droid that belongs to me."

"You drive a hard bargain, sir, but I'll cut you a deal. You buy this droid, I'll tell you all I know. Deal?"

Darth Vader, stoic and cold, flew closer to the shopkeeper. Perhaps he was about to unleash one of his famous force chokes? Kylo shuddered with anticipation. Closer... Closer...

And completely past the shopkeeper. Heading to the droid, Darth Vader stared at it closely. Maybe he was going to haunt it and murder the shopkeeper? Could he even do that?

"The droid is missing several pieces, but is in overall good condition. We will be able to rewire it."

"Are you saying we should buy it, grandfather?" Kylo whispered. While people couldn't see or hear Vader, they could see and hear Kylo. This forced Kylo to whisper quietly whenever he needed to speak to the Force Ghosts in public. Forgetting usually meant a few stares and handwave explanations of "Dark Side Stuff".

"This is the only way to find your goal."

"Yes, Grandfather."

"Then do what must be done."

Someday, Kylo wished he could say such cool quotes as that. But in the meanwhile, he had to resort to buying useless scrap off an equally useless trader in this useless wreck of a planet. Begrudgingly, he pulled out some credits and tossed them at the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper's eyes bugged out, as if even he didn't expect anybody to buy the useless piece of scrap. Hands trembling, he quickly wrote down some directions on a piece of paper, then handed it over to Kylo.

"Follow the directions on this map, and you'll end up in Unkar Plutt's shop. He controls the entire scavenger industry here."

Kylo took the map, then immediately huffed out the door with the droid. Not before he overheard the shopkeeper wonder about radar technician wages, however.

* * *

Most of the walk to Unkar Plutt's was deathy quiet. Kylo, still dressed as Matt, walked behind the imposing figure of Darth Vader. Both were as silent as the tomb, but only one of them seemed obviously awestruck. Mustering his courage, Kylo began to speak.

"Grandfather?"

Darth Vader did not say anything, although Kylo began to feel a chill running down his back. Courage rapidly waning, He asked the red spectre his question.

"When we were in the trader's tent, why didn't we just force him to reveal the information? I had my lightsaber with me, I could have threatened him."

"And what would your threat have accomplished?"

"He'd give me the information we needed."

"No. He would have screamed. Then this trading post would have known of your presence here. Your target would have fled long before you found them."

Kylo was silent for a moment. It was true. The moment he pulled out his lightsaber here, the post would have dissolved into chaos. Darth Vader continued speaking.

"Violence. Destruction. Hatred. These are all parts of life, whether we desire them or not. But do not make them your entire life."

Kylo frowned. "But isn't that the sith code? Shouldn't the sith embody those traits?"

"Do you think Palpatine manipulated everyone by Anger and Hatred? Simpleminded rage is not the way of a successful sith. You must control your rage, and use it. Do not let it control you."

Vader fell silent again. Kylo fell silent, too, but for a different reason. For a brief second, Darth Vader had sounded like Master Luke.

* * *

Kylo Ren, leader of the Knights of Ren, strode into the shop. Feeling all of the scavenger's eyes turn, he walked straight to the counter in the room. All around him ,he felt the blood of everybody in the room freeze. Good. He fixed his glare on the grotesque alien behind the counter.

"I am looking for a scavenger named Rey. Tell me her location."

Unkar Plutt took a few moments to grasp the situation, then fixed him with a cold, deadly stare. "No Extra rations for you. Your costume needs work."

Kylo had had enough. In one swift motion, he pulled out his lightsaber and cut through the barrier, closing his swing right beside Unkar's neck. "I will ask you one more time. Where. Is. Rey?"

Slowly feeling the increased sizzling on his neck, Unkar's face began to pale. "I- I don't know. She only comes here for the food, I swear! Did she steal something from you? I'll pay it back, double, triple!"

Vader's voice suddenly echoed in his head. "Behind you."

Kylo whirled around, preparing to block any bodyguard shots. Instead, he saw a scavenger girl sprinting off towards the...

Bantha Fodder.

She was running straight towards the shipyard, droid in tow. Beside her was what he could only assume was her scavenger boyfriend. Quickly pulling the saber away from Plutt's neck, he started chase. Up in the air, he could see the shadows of TIE fighters...

TIE fighters?! Who authorized them to turbolaser the map out of commission?

Cursing to himself. Kylo decided to focus. Standing still, he reached out to the Force, calling on it's power. At that instant, one of the Scavengers froze, then fell face-first on the ground. Not missing a beat, the second one whirled around, opening fire on Kylo. Forced between keeping the Girl frozen and taking a shot to the ribs, Kylo deflected the bolt with his lightsaber, sending it into the ground. Recalling an old trick Vader had pulled before, Kylo pulled the gun out of the Boy's hands and chased after them. The TIE bombardment had turned the Trader's camp into a dust storm, and Kylo could barely see either of them. Taking an almost literal shot in the dark, he hurled his lightsaber at two likely looking blurs. Grazing past both of the heads, the lightsaber vanished in the distance.

Kylo tried to summon his lightsaber back, only to realize that he hadn't learned how to force pull from such a distance yet. Cursing to himself, he watched the figures disappear into the storm.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm not too satisfied with how this chapter turned out, to be honest. Oh, well.

* * *

Interlude: The Uncomfortable Wait

"I don't know what happened, I swear. I looked away for one second, and sand was everywhere!" The young sith Lord shifted nervously in his robes, letting sand fall onto the ground. All around him, disapproving glares emanated from the Sith ghosts. Palpatine was looking at him like a disappointed grandfather, while Maul and Savage glared at each other more than Kylo. Savage smugly smirked in the face of his annoyed older brother, in a "I-told-you-so" fashion. Dooku kept stone faced mostly.

"Mhm, Mhm. Vader, I assume you have something to say in the matter?" Palpatine wasted a pointed look on Vader.

"Sand." Vader kept away from the circle of ghosts, preferring to stand 2 feet back.

"Yes, we all know your opinions on sand. Well, open the lightsaber, Kylo." Kylo unscrewed the lightsaber halves. Almost immediately, a veritable sandfall rushed out of the lightsaber, settling gently on the tabletop like a miniature sand dune. Shaking the hilt sent more sand flying down, getting many more grains on his robes. Housekeeping would not be happy.

"You'll need to disassemble it."

"What? No! I'm sure I can just... Er, vacuum the sand out?"

"Not possible. You will have to readjust the focusing crystal chamber, clean out the vortex ring."

"I'm sure it's still fine! Watch!" Dramatically, Kylo twirled around the hilt, then activated the lightsaber. A brilliant flash of red light emitted out of the hilt.

"A fine flashlight, I do admit. Not your weapon of choice, though." The flashlight flickered, then shut off, as if to prove his point.

Mumbling, Kylo tossed his flash saber back on the table. "All right, all right. I'll fix the saber."

"But why stop at merely fixing the lightsaber?" Palpatine sidled over to Kylo, and took the lightsaber in his own transparent hands. Smirking evilly, he made a small gesture, and the lightsaber deconstructed itself. Nuts and bolts, metal and wires, all flew away from each other and settled on the tabletop. The kyber crystal flew in the air a little while longer, before following the rest of the pieces.

"Why settle for what you have, when you can have so much more? " Palpatine grandly spread his arms. Everybody in the room rolled their eyes in response.

"What do you mean?" Kylo picked up the Kyber crystal, slowly turning it around in his hands. He felt it's faint humming through his fingers, saw it's red glow.

"Well, think about it. All us famous Sith Lords had our special lightsabers! I had my Dual lightsabers, weaving a pattern of death and destruction! Maul had his super-glued lightsabers, and Dooku had his impractically curved lightsaber!" Maul and Dooku both gave Palpatine death glares, to which Palpatine shrugged.

"You gave your Inquisitors helicopter lightsabers. Nobody remembered them."

"THE POINT BEING, lightsabers are not just a weapon! They are a statement, a threat, a warning to any who will cross you." Palpatine began raising his voice, trying to drown out the rest of the Sith.

"What old man Palps is saying is that we could help you improve your lightsaber. Make it less like you found it out of a dumpster." Savage decisively shut his mouth.

"Don't pretend yours was any better, brother. You glued two lightsabers together and called it a day."

"You CUT your lightsaber in half and called it a day!"

"... is it customary to make all Lightsabers out of paperclips and glue?" Count Dooku smirked smugly. "Because my lightsaber was made of only the finest alloys and crystals, perfectly handcrafted to my design."

"Yes, Mr. Creditbags, you were rich. Too bad all those precious alloys didn't save you from Skywalker's blade!"

"As if your dumpster Saber did any better with Kenobi's!" Count Dooku ignited his lightsaber, or a strange spiritual rendition of it. Maul did likewise, opening up beams from both sides.

"Those are fighting words, Count. Back them up." Twin streaks of red slowly whirled around Maul, a threatening hum emanating. Around Dooku, flashes of Red leapt from his lightsaber to all around him, hands and hilt moving too fast to follow. Savage seemed to be unsuccessfully betting with Darth Vader on the outcome of the fight.

"Kylo, come with me. Bring the Lightsaber pieces." Palpatine beckoned Kylo to an adjoining room. Kylo snuck away, swiping away the lightsaber pieces unnoticed. The last thing he saw before leaving the room was his chair being flung at Dooku's head.

* * *

The next room was lit only by Palpatine's scarlet glow. Dimly, Kylo could perceive a single table and chair next to Palpatine, but the rest of the room was pitch black. On top of the table, various mechanical parts were laid out in a perfectly straight line. Kylo awkwardly sat down in the chair, facing the mechanical parts.

Kylo would have dearly loved to say scrap metal, but he still had to show some level of respect to Palpatine. Looking closer, he studied the pieces of metal. "Power Regulator. Phase shifter. Energy Core. Fusion Accelerator. Field Conductor. Vortex Ring."

"And the next?"

"A paperclip." Kylo could hear the distant sounds of lightsabers clashing, but Palpatine didn't seem particularly fazed. Kylo dearly hoped that spirit lightsabers couldn't cut physical objects.

"Good, good. These are the pieces I noticed you lacked on your lightsaber. Reconstruct it, adding these new pieces."

"... Where did you get these?"

"Never mind that. Reconstruct your lightsaber." Kylo was having vivid thoughts of Palpatine robbing Snoke's spare lightsaber parts. Kylo began to stand up to take the parts, but he felt a force pushing him down. Strugging, he tried to stand up again, to no avail.

"Reconstruct it using the force. I need to see how well you can manipulate the force's power."

"I can't do that!"

"You could always spend the next week locked here with a screwdriver and those pieces." Palpatine's face darkened. Kylo unconsciously gulped, then glanced out the door. All he could see was a red storm destroying his room. Looking at it for more than 5 seconds began searing his eyes, so he turned back to the lightsaber pieces on the table. Reaching out to the force, he closed his eyes. He felt the power around him, the latent energy. Focus. He used the power, let it wrap around the pieces of metal. Slowly, the pieces fit together, nut and bolt, ring and-

"You may want to open your eyes." Kylo opened his eyes. In front of him was what he could only describe as a piece of modern art. Palpatine took a glance at what used to be a lightsaber, then inhaled deeply. "First lesson of the day, young one. Always open your eyes when using the force."


	7. Chapter 7

Heya. College is in a month, and I got a dayjob at a daycare, so updates will be slow once again. I'll do my best to update in my free time, though. Sorry for the short chapter as well. I couldn't really think of a way to extend it.

* * *

Lesson ?: Information

In the dark of night, a phantom crept quietly in the shadows. Sliding under the doorways, it sped through nooks and crannies, edging ever closer towards it's destination. Nothing more than a wisp in the breeze, it faded in and out of sight. Finally, it crept into the bedroom of the budding Sith Lord, undetected. Growing ever larger, it took on an emerald hue, fingers trailing off into smoke. It took on the form of a Nightsister, with shaved head and sorcerous aura. Hands stretching out into smoke, the Phantom jolted the sleeper.

"Wake up."

Kylo Ren slowly opened his eyes. He stared at the Phantom for two seconds, then promptly went back to sleep. The Phantom shook him again, slightly more violently this time.

"I have information for you. Information you will find... important."

"Kriff off." The apprentice put his pillow over his head, like a petulant child. It took about five seconds before snoring could be heard. Another second passed before Kylo found himself floating upside down, facing the Phantom.

"That's no way to treat a lady, young man." Asajj Ventress quipped, right before tossing him back onto his bed, roughly.

"Your kriffing banter lessons can wait, Darth Greenie. I need to sleep!" Kylo Ren tried to pull another blanket over himself, only to find it flying to the other side of the room.

"How rude, Ren. Are all Sith this easily angered?" Ventress crossed her arms, smirking. Kylo's face remained as displeased as ever. "I'll give you two options. Option one, You get ready, and I'll share important information about the Sith you hold so close to your heart."

"And option two?"

"You get ready, and I'll share important information about the Sith."

"Option Three, then. I go to sleep and you kriff off to whatever dimension you came from. Gift shop's on the left hallway." And with that, Kylo flung himself back on his now empty bed. Ventress stared at the brat for several shocked seconds, right before force-levitating his snoring body through the door.

* * *

Kylo was awakened by a dull pain on his skull. Slowly blinking, he found himself on a rooftop, with that annoying green ghost lady. The serene night let snow fall gracefully down onto the ground, covering the tree boughs with snow. Behind him, the mountains themselves were garbed in purest white, illuminating the twinkling stars. A perfect night for sleeping, if it wasn't for Darth Greenie. The ghost was muttering to itself about "skywalker's brat" and "genetic bullheadedness". Not wanting to disturb her or his sleep, Kylo began to creep back to his bed. Unfortunately, the first step he took issued a loud creaking noise. The ghost's head turned so swiftly, Kylo could only manage a running start before being pulled straight into the air. Once again, Kylo found himself levitating, watching the Ghost drew closer. The close-up did absolutely nothing for her facial features, Kylo noted miserably.

"You're awake. Good."

"Not good. Who or Whatever you are, just talk to me in the morning. You're wasting your incorporeal breath."

Visibly annoyed, the Ghost began to try and speak over the rest of Kylo's complaints. "My name is Asajj Ventress, the famed Sith Asassin. Perhaps the Count told you about me?"

"Not that I know of." Kylo had never heard of this Asajj person at all. Then again, Count Dooku talked about lots of things, none of which Kylo could actually recall.

"Fine. I didn't come all this way to brag about myself, anyhow. I took all this trouble to give you some very interesting information on your hero, Darth Vader." Despite himself, Kylo found himself leaning in closer. Unconsciously, he held his breath.

"Darth Vader... is Luke Skywalker's Father!"

"I know."

"Yes, it's very shocking- Wait, what?"

"Uncle Luke told me that story every Life Day. No, I am your father!" Kylo's icy glare was met with Ventress' own bugged out expression. In her shock, Ventress' focus wavered. Kylo fell back onto the rooftop, suffering an undignified drop in the snow. Brushing himself off, he gave another deadpan stare to the shocked revenant. "Any other important pieces of Information I need to know?"

"Darth Maul's second attempted apprentice?"

"Ezra Bridger."

"Rey's Parents?"

"Don't care."

"The ending to the Holoseries you watched last night?"

"Already spoiled."

Ventress glowered at Kylo, who was already halfway down the ladder back into the base.

"Fine. But know this, at least. Darth Sidious was the last true Sith Master. He was never able to raise an apprentice who could continue the Sith." Ventress smugly grinned at the hatch, only to find that Kylo didn't even bother listening to her final words. Listening closely, she could hear yawning echoing from inside the darkened corridors. Muttering something about "Skywalker brats", she faded away from sight.


	8. Chapter 8

Yeah, this one took a while as well. Sorry. Next few chapters should be easier to write, though, as they're more closely aligned with the actual story.

* * *

The Sith, ever since the fiasco on Jakku, had organized themselves into a schedule of sorts. First shift went to Darth Maul, who constantly woke Kylo up at sunrise to practice Threatening Poses. After the pose off, Dooku would whisk away Kylo to practice getting stabbed in whatever extremities he could. After Kylo had recovered from getting parts of his body severed, Palpatine would then take Kylo to his room, where Palpatine would recount various Sith legends to hurt Kylo's self esteem. Once the emotional beat-down concluded, Darth Vader would oversee the upgrading of Kylo's lightsaber. This was probably the most boring "session" of the lot, as it consisted of Vader silently staring at Kylo while the latter fixed random parts together using the force. Finally, Kylo would creep into bed, praying that none of the Sith decide to jump him in the middle of the night for "Surprise Betrayal!" Kylo suspected they knew about the incident with Master Luke, but none of them mentioned anything.

"Kylo. You're late." Maul frowned at Kylo, who was just getting up from his bed. None of the sith knew what privacy meant, apparently. Force-Pulling his mask to his hand, he groggily put it on. He slept with his sith robes on, thankfully. After the fifth time he was caught out of bed, he had decided a little bit of discomfort was worth the protection from embarrassment. Limping out of bed, he lazily swung his lightsaber to the left, than the right. Stifling a yawn, he yelled something about fearing him. Maul didn't look too impressed, judging by the look on his bisected face. Kylo hunched his back a little bit more, but not enough to avoid the massive weight now pulling his arms and legs against his will. They began contorting, making shapes that no creature would ever make naturally. Kylo would have screamed before, but he was used to it at this point.

"Opinions, brother?"

"Stretch his Saber arm further back."

"Good Call. Kylo, try not to collapse when I release you."

Maul released Kylo, who collapsed anyways. He began poking Kylo with his ethereal lightsaber, who also began waving his hand away. Savage made a hand gesture, and Kylo found himself irresistibly flipping over. Seeing the future Sith Lord collapsed on the ground like this depressed both Sith Ghosts slightly.

"Do you think we should continue the lesson?"

"I think he's dead."

"His arm's still waving. Perhaps we should leave him there until Dooku arrives."

"Good idea." Both Sith lords took one last sad look at Kylo, before drifting off.

* * *

"Balance, Kylo! Keep your back straight, head upright!" Dooku's commanding voice barked sharply from the corner. Kylo struggled, but kept his stance. He resisted using the force, but his concentration would soon break. Dooku stared at him from behind the cover of a holographic book, eyes fixed like a hawk. Finally, Kylo could take it no more. He wavered, and the books on his head fell all around him. One particularly heavy tome crushed Kylo's foot, causing much undignified leaping around the room.

"Remind me why you had me stack books on top of my head again?" Kylo clutched at his throbbing foot, shooting death glares at Dooku.

"This is an integral part of training, according to the manual." Dooku peered closer at the book he was holding. _Training Royalty_ was written in bold aurabesh.

"An integral part in Princess Training?"

"Oh, my. Well, you are technically the prince of the First Order." Dooku folded the book, levitating the tomes back on Kylo's head. They wobbled a little bit, before trying to reacquaint themselves with Kylo's feet. Some futile dodges later, and the books were once again on Kylo's aching head.

* * *

Lessons with Palpatine were the calmest part of Kylo's day. All he had to do was sit down, listen to whichever sith Palpatine wanted to talk about, then silently fall into depression about how he could never live up to their standard. Mentally telling himself to lower his self esteem, Kylo entered the room where Palpatine waited.

"Have you ever heard the tragedy of Darth Traya?"

"No."

"I thought not. It's not a tale anybody would tell you. Darth Traya was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and wise that she nearly destroyed the force itself. Unfortunately, she guided her companion too badly, and got the kriff beaten out of her."

"Wow... Is it possible to learn this power?

"What?! No, no, it's been lost to the ages. No hope of finding it at all, perish the thought." Palpatine smiled nervously.

"Ok."

"Well, let's forget all about that silly story. How about we do something interesting, instead?"

"Cool! Like what?"

"Like extra lessons with Count Dooku! Go on now, so long!"

* * *

"So, the Energy Conduit goes here, and the Durasteel focusers go there, right?" Kylo asked what seemed like empty space. He knew that Darth Vader was somewhere in the room, quietly lurking. Neither of them had exchanged words in the entire time Kylo had been repairing his lightsaber, despite Kylo's multiple attempts.

Squinting his eyes, Kylo tried to make out the holographic instruction manual. Beneath the garbled lines of text, detailed instructions on how to reconstruct a lightsaber were supposed to lurk. Kylo heavily doubted this claim, with nearly a week as evidence. Several times, the manual had given helpful advice on how to start an indoor fire and how to short-circuit a lightsaber, but never anything on building one. Eventually, he'd throw the lightsaber pieces into the bin, storm out, and then run back in, dumping the contents of the entire trash bin onto the desk. He would then both cuss and pray that nothing valuable got damaged, then sigh in relief when everything was inevitably safe. Tossing the garbage back into the bin was optional.

All while Darth Vader silently watched.


	9. Chapter 9

Heya. College has officially started, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to update as much, or at all. I'll do my best, of course, but we'll see how it works out.

* * *

Armitage Hux was the type of Man which Kylo wholly despised. He was the scum of the galaxy, a bottom feeder through and through. Kylo would have long cleansed the world of such scum, if Snoke had let him. But for now, he had to settle for watching the pasty-faced buffoon occupy the seat right next to him. Kylo dearly hoped that the man would have enough sense not to speak, at least. He was sadly disappointed.

"Evening, Kylo. Want a snack?" Hux obnoxiously shook his pack of treats directly in Kylo's face, smugly grinning at him. The most Kylo could do was cross his arms and look elsewhere, hoping that the pustule would take the hint. It didn't, choosing instead to ruin some perfectly good silence.

"Lovely weather we're having, hm? Granted, the snow looks no different today from yesterday, but the atmosphere's fantastic! Almost makes me want to take the day off and go snowboarding. Course, when good ol' Snoke says 'Status Report!', you've no choice but to give a Status report, am I right? Then again, you know the old geezer best, being his apprentice and all. Is it true you're really his son? I've been telling Phasma that you're definitely related to the Boss himself, but she refuses to consider the possibility. But I guess that doesn't matter, as long as we're both oiling the cogs of the First Order, eh?"

Kylo did not deign to respond to any of this, only wishing that Hux had taken that day off. The torrent of speech showed no signs of stemming, judging by Hux's happy chattering about "Love and Loss on the Net"? Snoke's waiting room seemed specifically designed to give one a nervous breakdown. From the amplified ticking of the clock, to the lack of any furnishings in the room, to the robotic secretary that spent her free time watching your every move, Kylo began to feel the heat. Nothing moved, but Kylo could feel the walls slowly closing in on him, beginning to suffocate him. Subconsciously, he wondered if Hux kept up his endless flood of words just to distract himself from the crushing emptiness of the room. It was almost a relief when the secretary let them inside. Almost.

* * *

Snoke's office was very similar to a movie theatre, if the movie was an angry old man glaring at you for an extended period of time. Kylo suspected that Snoke was overcompensating for something when he made his hologram amphitheatre sized, but no sane person would ever bring that up in Snoke's general vicinity. Hux, the greatest bootlicker of the First Order, certainly made no mention of it. Watching him now, anxiously rattling reports off while trying not to panic gave Kylo a smug smile under his mask.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but we can't possibly hurry construction any longer-"

"Do you expect me to believe that? Do you think I appointed you to this position just to watch you grovel before me like a striken dog? Return to me with results." Hux bowed deeply, retreating out of the room like a rat. Kylo smiled smugly, right before remembering that he and Snoke were the only ones left in the room. The room kept deathly silent for several tense moments, Snoke silently staring at Kylo in the middle of the room. Eventually, Kylo stepped up a few paces. Sinking into a deep bow, he began to speak.

"Most excellent supreme leader, I am but your humble servant, bringing-"

"Dismiss the formalities, Kylo. Just tell me anything of note that had occurred to you recently." Kylo began to speak again, only to be cut off yet again. "Anything of note that does not include your training. I am sure your Sith Ghost training you adequately."

Kylo winced. Of course Snoke didn't know that Kylo had an unspecified amount of Sith ghosts shadowing his every move. Briefly, he wondered if telling Snoke about the unprecedented amount would be a good idea. Perhaps he thought a moment too much, as Snoke furrowed his eyebrows, staring intensely at Kylo. A nervous tension began filling Kylo's body yet again, as Snoke's stare began burrowing into him. Neither exchanged a word, yet both of them felt that something lurked below the surface, threatening to disrupt everything they had worked towards. It was as if a veil had come between Kylo and Snoke, with Snoke's stare futilely attempting to pierce it. Finally, Snoke withdrew his stare, crossing his arms worriedly.

"On second thought, we shall discuss your report later. The reason I brought you here today was not to learn about your report, but to summon you for an important task. If you recall, you attempted to seize the Skywalker Mao on Jakku, but it had barely slipped from your grasp." Kylo nodded briefly. "The map has been located yet again. It lies on Takodana, under the protection of Han Solo."

Kylo drew a sharp breath. Surely he had misheard, right? Of all the people in the galaxy, surely it couldn't have come to Han Solo. Kylo's body remained stone-still, though his mind was swirling with questions. Snoke, sensing this, continued speaking.

"The force is a cruel mistress. Kylo, if it comes to it, you know what must be done."

"Yes, Master."

"You will join the reserve battalion in the assault, though you may move out whenever you deem is right. Do what must be done, show no mercy." Snoke closed his mouth decisively, and the hologram flickered away.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: So... it's been a long time. Bla bla bla, College, Bla Bla Bla, Excuses, Bla Bla Bla, busy. I'll get another update out eventually, and then we'll be halfway through Force Awakens. Sorry.

Also, side note: Rise of Skywalker Palpatine will probably not be the same as our Palpatine, mostly to this being written before Rise of Skywalker. Maybe I'll try and include some part of him, who knows?

* * *

"This. Is. Fantastic! Congratulation, Kylo!" Grinning widely, Palpatine wiped a tear from his wrinkled cheeks. All around him, the rest of the Sith ghosts applauded him. All except for Darth Vader, who continued being aloof and remote.

"I don't think you heard me correctly. I'm supposed to kill my Dad."

"Yes, of course we heard you correctly! How could we not listen to you at such a big moment in your life? It's a grand tradition for every sith, to finally step up and remorselessly slaughter their father figure in cold blood! I killed my own father at a tender age!" Palpatine sighed happily.

"I arranged my father's death to steal his riches." The count's lips twitched upwards, as if recalling a precious moment. "Engine Failure. They never suspected foul play. Konstanza, least of all."

"And not only are you killing your father, you're also about to cut a bloody swathe through all your enemies! You're finally growing up... I'm so proud." Palpatine wiped a tear from his wrinkled eyes, or he pretended to. "Now then, let's make them remember your name, shall we? Open the roof hatch."

"Wh- why?" Judging by the sounds of turbolasers and explosions, Kylo knew that stepping outside would probably end in swift, explosive death. Either that or he would slip and fall 300 feet into the lake below.

"For your dramatic entrance! You'll stand on the roof of the ship, glaring down those miserable resistance rabble. Then you leap off the ship, ignite your lightsaber, and carve straight through them!"

"That seems like a terrible idea. The boy hasn't even mastered force jumping and you expect him to survive that?" Dooku frowned at Kylo, one eyebrow cocked. "I doubt he'd survive the fall, much less carve through anything."

"Well, Vader did it and he turned out perfectly fine." Palpatine shrugged nonchalantly, glancing at Vader. For all intents and purposes, they could have replaced Darth Vader with a mannequin and nothing would have changed.

"You very well know Darth Vader was a master of the force then, able to- He's already on the roof, isn't he?" Dooku stared at the open hatch, where a black cape whipped violently in the wind.

* * *

 _Deep Breaths, Kylo._ Standing boldly on the exterior of the First Order Shuttle, Kylo felt the wind violently ripping at his hood and cape. If he dared to look down, all he would see was the vast expanse of water rippling below him, but terror had frozen him shock-still. Within the horizon, two spires grew larger and larger as the ship flew closer towards his destination. It was during times like this when Kylo wished he had a parent to scream at him to get down from this height. Instead, all he had were the crazy uncles who told him to climb up there in the first place. Shifting his feet uncomfortably, Kylo realized that the stainless steel of the ship made it hard to get a firm footing anywhere. Not helping the fact was the shuttle beginning to swoop into evasive motions. _Wait, Evasive Motions?_ Flinging his head to the side, Kylo could see the familiar silhouette of three resistance X-Wings. They apparently could see him too, judging by how they were aiming their shots towards Kylo's shuttle. Muttering curses to himself, Kylo widened his stance and clutched his Lightsaber hilt.

The first of the X-wings dipped, accelerating to assault. Behind it, the other two prepared to flank the ship, cutting off any means of escaping the trio's turbolasers. Kylo knew that the shuttle wouldn't survive a direct assault. Shutting his eyes, Kylo focused deep within himself, bitterness welling up inside. As the guns of the X-wings flashed green, Kylo's lightsaber flashed a brilliant scarlet. Swinging out in a blood-red arc, the blade struck the laser, reflecting it and launching it back to it's pilot. Almost immediately, the other two X-wings pulled back, aiming their cannons at the figure in black. Blood rushing in his ears, Kylo gripped his lightsaber tightly, almost challenging them to attack. In sync, the X-wings launched their first volley, aimed solely at Kylo. Almost heedlessly, the blade swung wildly, sending the bolts in every direction. One of them struck the wingspan of the X-wing, shuddering it. Another zoomed past Kylo, causing sparks to fly up from the stell. Neither combatant ceasing, the X-wings launched a maelstrom of green light, determined to destroy Kylo Ren. But they did not know the power he possessed. Releasing his growing rage, Kylo stretched out his hand and the maelstrom scattered back into his assaulters. One of the X-wings shuddered, an engine struck by the bolts, crash landing into the lake. The other two pulled away, trying to escape. Once again, Kylo reached out to the force, sensing heavy damage on the cockpit of one of the escaping engines. He reached out his hand, and the X-wing incinerated itself from the inside. Time stood still for a moment, before the ship imploded into a brilliant orange ball. The last one flew off, Kylo glowering at it. Suddenly, behind him, Kylo heard clapping and cheering.

"Well done, Kylo! I knew you had it in you!" Palpatine grinned widely, smiling widely. "That was incredible!"

Kylo came back to his senses. Gripping tightly onto a extended spur, he nearly lost his balance and fell. "Did you know those X-wings were coming?" Kylo demanded.

"N- no. Certainly did not. Why would I know?" Palpatine smiled suspiciously. "Well, it was certainly good you learned everything we taught you, else you would have been dead!" Kylo nodded, then unceremoniously clambered back into the hatch. Drifting outside, Count Dooku watched Kylo collapse in his bunk. Shaking his head, he floated to the outside of the ship, where Palpatine waited.

* * *

"You were right, Palpatine. The boy does have hidden potential, similar to his grandfather."

"You should never have doubted me. The boy is of the Skywalkers, after all."

"One thing concerns me, though. Kylo's loyalty at the moment lies with Snoke. Can we trust him to return the Sith to their glory?"

"No. Do not worry about him, Dooku. I know how to deal with him."


	11. Chapter 11

Well, just watched Rise of Skywalker a few days ago. I want to say I called it, but we all know that the premise of these two is far apart.

Good news! After this, we only have 3-4 chapters left, plus an epilogue before we finish TFA. I'm not too sure if I want to do TLJ or ROS yet, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. College re-opens on Jan 27, so expect another ridiculously long wait time until someone reminds me that to finish my dang stories with a fave/follow.

* * *

"Ugh... how long have I been out?" Kylo wondered to himself. Everything was bloodshot red, his voice felt distorted, and his breathing felt stifled. Trying to slap himself awake, he realized he never took his mask off when he fell asleep.

"2 minutes. You sleep light." Maul nodded approvingly at him, right before dismissively waving his hand. Kylo, unable to resist the sudden pull, dropped like a sack of potatoes onto the floor. "Now, while I'd love to help you cut down those rebellion fools..."

"Resistance fools."

"Fools. And, as it stands, all the Sith Lords have some... business to attend to. " With those words, Maul faded away into mist, leaving Kylo alone for the first time in a while. The ship had already landed, the pilots having fled early. If he focused on the distant sounds, he could hear the sounds of blaster fire and engines. Carefully, Kylo considered his options. He could stay away from the battle, let the troopers do the job Snoke paid them for, then come in to search for the droid once the battle was over. This was probably very lazy of him, but it sure made his life easier. _Maybe even give his father time to escape_ , he thought. Frowning, he pushed the thought out of his head. Option two was to ignite his lightsaber, quit being such a pansy, and destroy all those resistance soldiers. Maybe even work in some of that force-power that he did on the ship. Maybe if he did that, Vader would finally be proud of him.

There was silence for a brief moment, followed by the sound of broken glass and speeding footsteps.

* * *

 _Maybe I should have thought this through..._ Kylo thought as he ran towards the big stone building that was probably the resistance base. Judging by all the gunfire and mayhem, that seemed like the likeliest option. At the very least, the Stormtroopers were kind enough to set a bright blue waypoint for him to head towards. Even though the waypoint was unstable, swinging wildly from side to side, and had just impaled itself in a Stormtrooper... Wait a minute. First Order Waypoints were always issued in Ominous Red and Black, and weren't cylindrical. They certainly didn't impale themselves in Stormtroopers. Kylo knew that for certain, considering the last time he tried it. In fact, only lightsabers could impale a body like that. And who would be using a blue lightsaber but a Jedi?!

Kylo hadn't expected a Jedi. In fact, the last time he expected a Jedi ended with him collapsing an Old Stone Building on top of him. Maybe he could convince this one to stand under that other Old Stone Building? Dramatically walking forward, Kylo looked closely at the Jedi. No robes, panic in his eyes, and a ratty old jacket that looked like it needed a good scrub. Either this guy was a new-age Jedi or he was some idiot who had somehow gotten a hold of a lightsaber. Either way, there was one thing he wasn't going to be in the next few seconds. Alive. Kylo mentally congratulated himself for thinking of that one, before realizing he hadn't even said it out loud.

Seeing Kylo, the resistance soldier visibly flinched, before pointing his saber directly at Kylo. "Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!" He gripped it's hilt very tightly, as if it would give him latent Jedi Powers. Honestly, Kylo admitted to himself, he would have been more worried if a monkey had picked up the lightsaber and flung it at him than against this idiot. At least the monkey would have been an interesting story later.

"You're not a Jedi, are you?" Kylo smugly asked the not-Jedi.

"Of course I am!" Mustering what courage he had, the resistance soldier dashed straight at Kylo, blade held so high above his head that Kylo briefly wondered if he was trying to signal a ship. One flick of his wrist and suddenly the soldier was the one flying as high as the ships. Moments later, the Sith Apprentice heard the oddly satisfying sound of a splash in the lake. Casually picking up the dropped lightsaber, Kylo was about to cut a swath through the rest of the resistance when the voice of Palpatine echoed in his head again.

"Kylo! Urgent news- Wait, where did you get that lightsaber?"

"I... found it. Wait, how are you speaking inside my head?" Kylo thought, right before subconsciously biting his lip. Fortunately, Palpatine didn't seem to mind.

"I... found a way. Anyways... you were searching for a droid?"

"Yes, master. Sorry for the question."

"Yes, that's all right." Palpatine replied distractedly. "Yes, the hatch goes right on the roof, no windows or anything. Now, Kylo, I don't know where the droid is. However, I do know that a certain girl who does know is currently running around a forest for no particular reason. If you could politely ask her to tell you where the droid is, I'm sure she'll comply."

"A girl? You mean the scavenger girl?" Kylo had begun sprinting back towards the forest, heedless of any blaster shots headed his way. If had stopped for even a moment, he might have seen an old man sneak out of the rubble, heading towards the lake.

"Yes, the chasm goes there. It's plenty of space to prevent me falling in it, don't worry. Oh, Kylo! You haven't left yet? Hold on..." There was a brief moment of vertigo where Kylo nearly tripped over a dead body, right before his head went silent again. No time left to ponder or complain about his aching legs, Kylo rushed straight into the forest.

* * *

The forest was certainly denser that he liked. Slashing his way between two meddling saplings, Kylo muscled his way through the foliage. While he hadn't mastered sensing other force users, even he could feel the pressure of the force growing stronger. In his mind, Kylo wondered how he was going to handle the situation. Palpatine had told him that all he needed to do was ask nicely, after all. Then again, he HAD thrown a lightsaber at her. That would be pretty difficult to justify. Hopefully she was the forgiving type. Judging by the flash of red that narrowly missed his visor, apparently not. Igniting his lightsaber, he swiftly deflected the next bolt, then struck out his hand. The scavenger girl went rigid- as rigid as the staff she used to carry around. Kylo would have felt some small amount of guilt, but whatever was left of it was smoking in a hole on a tree trunk.

After a silence that was either furious or awkward, Kylo cleared his throat first. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a droid-"

"Go kriff yourself."

"Sorry?"

"You cut my favourite staff in half, you sunuv-" A quick flick of his hands, and the Scavenger Girl slumped unconscious. So much for a quick question. Unceremoniously dropping her onto the forest floor, Kylo quickly glanced over her. No weapons apart from the blaster, no clue to the droid anywhere in sight. Honestly, she was quite attract- Kylo slapped himself. What would Darth Vader think, seeing his Grandson infatuated over some girl? Disgusting. No force user should even consider romance, much less a Sith Apprentice.

Flinging her over his shoulder, he started heading back to the ship. The droid had probably escaped in all the mayhem. Hopefully nobody questioned why he was bringing an unconscious scavenger girl back to base. The last thing he needed were rumours being whispered behind his back.


End file.
